Conference USA: Nine-game league schedule not the answer to bust BCS

So Conference USA is considering a nine-game conference schedule hoping the change yields its first BCS buster.

My question: How exactly is this 9-game league schedule going to do that?

Several coaches expressed reservations at league media days about having to play top-quality BCS teams during non-conference play. Every school in Conference USA except UTEP will play at least two teams from automatic qualifying BCS leagues during the 2010 season. UCF plays N.C. State and Kansas St. — two teams that didn't make bowl games last year.

Let us take a look at the non-AQ teams who have made BCS bowl games to see how many BCS opponents they have faced:

TCU, 2009 season (2): at Virginia (3-9), Texas St. (I-AA), at Clemson (9-5, bowl team), SMU (8-5, bowl team). Lost to Boise St. in Fiesta Bowl.

As you can see from the numbers above, easier non-conference schedules do not always translate into becoming a BCS buster. What these teams do have in common is — they all went undefeated. Hawaii had the worst strength of schedule and it showed in the BCS standings — it finished 10th despite that undefeated record. Its computer ranking averaged 12. But playing that final game vs. Washington helped even though the Huskies were bad. Hawaii moved up from 12 to 10 in the final BCS standings.

This year, Boise State will play two teams from BCS conferences — Virginia Tech and Oregon St. — and three bowl teams overall. The Broncos have had trouble scheduling BCS opponents in the past because many don't want to risk the upset. Still, the Broncos have gained respect with the wins in those top-quality games against the BCS teams they have played. It did not come instantaneously for them.

Most non-AQ leagues have to play the tougher BCS opponents because that is how they pay the bills. Those big money games go a long way in the athletic budgets of schools like Tulane and Eastern Michigan, for example.

In the MAC, 11 of its 13 teams play at least 2 games against BCS opponents. All nine Sun Belt teams play at least 2 BCS opponents. That includes FIU and Western Kentucky, which must play four each. Five Mountain West and four WAC teams play at least two games against BCS opponents. But that includes Boise St., TCU, BYU and Utah — which have been among the top non-AQ teams.

Houston had a heck of a non-conference schedule last year and managed it just fine — beating Oklahoma State, Texas Tech and Mississippi State. But the Cougars tripped up in conference play, first losing to UTEP and then UCF.

So if the Conference USA coaches truly believe their conference is so filled with parity that anyone can win any given game, then why even add a ninth game? This seems contradictory, to hear a coach say the parity makes it hard to go undefeated. So adding a ninth conference game makes it easier to go undefeated?

Yes, these non-BCS games are tough. But for C-USA teams to become BCS busters, they must figure out how to win those tough non-conference games AND its conference games. UCF coach George O'Leary: "The conference games are big, but it's just not good enough to play people [in nonconference]. It's winning," he said. "That's what catches people's attention."

On the menu: Good-byes

This is my last column for the Orlando Sentinel. I begin a new job today as a college football blogger at ESPN.com. The last four years have not only been memorable, but have been incredibly fulfilling. I got the opportunity to write about college football, cover the 2007 BCS national championship game along with a host of other great events. But more than this, I hope my articles served as think pieces for the readers out there. Thank you for all your feedback, your readership and your support.

On the Web

Our wall-to-wall college football coverage continues. Join Matt Murschel today at 3 p.m. at OrlandoSentinel.com/collegegridiron365 for a live chat. Matt has also started doing weekly podcasts on the blog as well, so be sure to check those out. Also, our Top 120 countdown is reaching its final stages. Watch Matt and I discuss teams 31-40 in our latest video installment breaking down the preseason rankings.

On the BCS

With USC set to serve a two-year bowl ban, the 11 conferences that manage the Bowl Championship Series have decided that teams ineligible for postseason play will be removed from the computer rankings to determine the BCS standings.

Ineligible teams will still be included in the six computer rankings the BCS uses. But those teams will be removed from each computer ranking and all others below it moved up one position to determine the

The average of the six computer rankings is one-third of the components of the BCS standings.

The coaches poll and Harris poll, which make up the other components, won't include teams that are ineligible for postseason play. Hancock has previously said if USC loses its appeal, its 2004 BCS national title would be vacated and no team would be recognized as the national champion.